Category: Books

I am old. That is the first thing to tell you. The thing you are least likely to believe. If you saw me you would probably think I was about forty, but you would be very wrong.

Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret.

He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but owing to a rare condition, he’s been alive for centuries. From Elizabethan England to Jazz Age Paris, from New York to the South Seas, Tom has seen a lot, and now craves an ordinary life. Always changing his identity to stay alive, Tom has the perfect cover – working as a history teacher at a London comprehensive. Here he can teach the kids about wars and witch hunts as if he’d never witnessed them first-hand. He can try and tame the past that is fast catching up with him.

Another day, another book review. Today’s review is of Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera.

Juliet Milagros Palante is leaving the Bronx and headed to Portland, Oregon. She just came out to her family and isn’t sure if her mom will ever speak to her again. But Juliet has a plan, sort of, one that’s going to help her figure out this whole “Puerto Rican lesbian” thing. She’s interning with the author of her favorite book: Harlowe Brisbane, the ultimate authority on feminism, women’s bodies, and other gay-sounding stuff.

Will Juliet be able to figure out her life over the course of one magical summer? Is that even possible? Or is she running away from all the problems that seem too big to handle?

With more questions than answers, Juliet takes on Portland, Harlowe, and most importantly, herself. (Goodreads)

Today’s book review is of Stay with Me, a debut novel by Ayòbámi Adébáyò which was shortlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction.

Yejide and Akin have been married since they met and fell in love at university. Though many expected Akin to take several wives, he and Yejide have always agreed: polygamy is not for them. But four years into their marriage–after consulting fertility doctors and healers, trying strange teas and unlikely cures–Yejide is still not pregnant. She assumes she still has time–until her family arrives on her doorstep with a young woman they introduce as Akin’s second wife. Furious, shocked, and livid with jealousy, Yejide knows the only way to save her marriage is to get pregnant, which, finally, she does, but at a cost far greater than she could have dared to imagine. An electrifying novel of enormous emotional power, Stay With Measks how much we can sacrifice for the sake of family. (Goodreads)

On his eighty-third birthday, Eddie, a lonely war veteran, dies in a tragic accident trying to save a little girl from a falling cart. With his final breath, he feels two small hands in his – and then nothing. He awakens in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a lush Garden of Eden but a place where earthly life is explained to you by five people who were in it. These people may have been loved ones or distant strangers. Yet each of them changed your path forever. (Goodreads).

I enjoyed this book as the plot was extremely interesting to me. Afterlife is something that *almost* everyone is at least slightly intrigued about. The unknown is interesting and scary, and so I was intrigued by the idea of reliving your life through five people present in it. Through this concept we see moments and insights into Eddie’s history and the impact that his actions have had on other people throughout his life (some of which he does not know of until death). The figures he meets vary in the length of time present in his life or the impact they had on him, which I again found interesting. Every meeting seemingly has a moral to their part of the story, which I also enjoyed. It reaffirmed the idea that there is something to be learned from all experiences. It really made me consider my actions through life and who I would want to see or what stories those people could tell of my life.

I read this book the week after losing my grandfather, and in an odd way it comforted me. I can’t explain how, but I felt like I needed this read at this time.

“Holding anger is a poison…It eats you from inside…We think that by hating someone we hurt them…But hatred is a curved blade…and the harm we do to others…we also do to ourselves.”

The plot was both heartwarming in points, sad in others, and at times quite dark. I enjoyed the writing, and found myself writing down several quotes because they impacted me. I found the writing poetic and poignant at points, while not constant throughout.

“Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them. They move on. They move away. The moments that used to define them – a mother’s approval, a father’s nod – are covered by moments of their own accomplishments. It is not until much later, as the skin sags and the heart weakens, that children understand; their stories, and all their accomplishments, sit atop the stories of their mothers and fathers, stones upon stones, beneath the waters of their lives.”

I do not have a lot to say about this book, but I feel that it is definitely worth a read if you are interested in different perspectives or views regarding afterlife or what lies beyond death and what our lives mean to those around us and the consequences of our actions. I definitely feel that my perception of this book was altered by the circumstances under which I read it, however I would still recommend it to anyone!

Life gets busy and things get stressful, and in those times I find it really hard to focus on reading new books and my enthusiasm tends to dip. At this time – while I still want to read – I find it really hard to immerse myself into new stories. To remedy this I love to reread some old favourites. Today I thought I’d share some of those favourites, and also include some books I haven’t reread in a while but that I am eager to reach for.

1/ To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I have said this several times on this blog, but To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most important books I have ever read and I absolutely adore it. I find it charming in its childhood innocence, and I find the story captivating and it touches my heart in a poignant way. I have reread this several times, and – as I associate it with a time in my life that was really difficult – it is the book I turn to when I need a bit an escape from my troubles.

I think this is an extremely obvious one. Similar to a lot of readers, Harry Potter was integral to my life and has continued to be central to my reading ever since I first read the books. Most recently, I have been following the illustrated editions of the books (illustrated by Jim Kay)

Follow me on Instagram at @amytalksbooks if you’d like to see a constant stream of books and hot beverages.

as they are released and have been rereading them this way, which has been a vibrant and new way to enjoy the magic.

Above are some of my favourite rereads, and now I thought I’d share a few that I want to get to soon.

1/ Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

I adored this book when I first read it in the winter of 2013. I became sorely engrossed in the gothic, mysterious and swoon worthy story and I am looking forward to buying myself a stunning edition of this book (I read a copy from the library) and curling up by the fire on a cold, winter’s night and revisiting Jane at Thornfield.

I was gifted a Kindle Keyboard, one of the earliest models in 2012 for my birthday, and later upgraded to a Kindle Paperwhite. Since then, my reading has been revolutionsed and my Kindle has really changed me as a reader in many ways; some big and some small. Here’s why:

1/ Space saver

When I got my 1st Kindle for my birthday, I was quickly running out of space on my tiny bookcase for all of the volumes I wanted and already had. I shared bookcases with my other family members as I couldn’t fit one into my room. There were always piles of books everywhere, and in the back of my mind I would always consider where I was going to fit any new books I bought.

It is undeniable that a Kindle is useful for this purpose, as one tiny device can have thousands of worlds and stories stored within. Instead of buying an entire series in hardback, I could read them on my Kindle.

This was also extremely useful when I would go away on holidays. I went to Tenerife for 2 weeks last year and read several books while I was away, and if I had taken physical books in my suitcase, I would have definitely exceeded my suitcases limit and would have had to ditch half of my clothes! Instead, I had a slim, small and light Kindle Paperwhite in my carry on which left me with my entire library at my fingertips while I was away.

2/ Curbing the book buying

When I walk into Waterstones to buy a book, I can never pick just one and I usually emerge with a £50 dent in my bank account and an armful of new books, while neglecting what I already have. However, I find that when I go to search the Kindle Store for my latest read, I normally spend less and buy less books, as I am (fairly) sure that those books will be there when I come back. I usually buy maybe one book at a time, saving me money!

3/ Samples

Amazon let you read a small sample of a book before purchasing it. And yes, while I will concede that you can do this in a bookshop also, I much prefer reading a sample of a book on my Kindle rather than awkwardly flicking through a few pages while sales assistants watch me, secretly praying I don’t damage the spine or put it back in the wrong place once I’m done. Samples mean I can read a chapter or two of a book before deciding if I like it, and this has saved me from wasting money many a time on books that I didn’t end up liking. First impressions count, people!

4/ Reading in bed

I don’t know about you, but I am NOTORIOUS for falling asleep with a book cradled in my arms and all of my bedroom lights on. I can’t help it. I always say I won’t do it but it is truly an inevitable reader problem. However, my Kindle Paperwhite means that I can read in the dark, as the light comes from the screen (without hurting or annoying my eyes), and the Kindle will shut off eventually if a page has not been turned. This means that I can turn off my lights, read in the dark and if I fall asleep, I’m not burning through electricity. On a side note, my Kindle would have been a blessing when I was younger as I wouldn’t have been caught staying up ridiculously late to read books. Ah, fond memories.

5/ Discovery

I have to admit that while I love to support authors and bookshops by buying physical copies of books, Amazon and the Kindle Store has led me to countless reads that I would not have found otherwise. While I rely on book blogs, Goodreads, Youtube reviews and books that appeal to me when I find them in bookshops, Amazon has helped me narrow down the genres and categories of books I like to read, presents me with books that relate to ones I have enjoyed previously, and shows me the bestsellers in the categories I enjoy. Because of this I am constantly finding titles I wouldn’t have know about otherwise, meaning I am reading widely and finding unexpected, hidden gems amongst the hundreds of thousands of books available on the Kindle.

I hope that you guys enjoyed this post, and for those of you who are anti Kindle I hope I have helped you see the positives. I absolutely love my Kindle, however I will concede that there is NOTHING better (I repeat, NOTHING) than turning the pages of a real book.

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be. (Goodreads)

Guys…I loved this book.

This book is such an endearing depiction of the struggles that teenagers go through when discovering who they are. This book is written from Aristotle’s perspective; an angry and sad teenage boy who is trying hard to process his feelings about himself, his family, Dante, and ultimately his life.

I loved this book for so many reasons, mainly the friendship between Dante and Aristotle. At the beginning of the book they seem like polar opposites but as the book goes on Aristotle becomes more and more aware of their similarities. Their relationship is so honest and raw and meaningful and is undoubtedly complex. That being said, I really enjoyed the depiction of all the relationships in this book, particularly the familial relationships. In a lot of young adult fiction, there are some common tropes which usually appear; such as single parent families, problematic relationships between parents or parent and child etc. However, in these book both Aristotle and Dante have fairly positive relationships with their families, and where there are problems they continue to develop over the course of the story.

I really enjoyed the themes in this book and I found it to be such a beautifully written examination of identity. Aristotle and Dante both struggle in many aspects with identity; regarding family, sexuality, nationality and more. In particular I enjoyed the ongoing discussion between Aristotle and Dante of being a Mexican teen living in America and about ‘feeling like a true Mexican’ and such. I loved the exploration of sexuality and of puberty that the boys go; the experimentation and the discussion on things like masturbation. It all felt very honest and realistic to the teenage condition and how uncertain teenagers are when changes are happening in their lives.

I found this book so engrossing and different from a lot of young adult fiction that I have read in the past. I felt it was extremely descriptive and analytical and that the story managed to cover a lot of different events and plot points without feeling too fast paced. In short, I bloody loved it!

If you are a lover of contemporary fiction, books about coming of age or ‘finding yourself’, family, friendship and sexuality, then this book is for you. I really would recommend it to you, whether you read young adult or not!

I’ve been nominated by the lovely Athena of @ pricelessbooks for the Mystery Blogger Award, which aims to try and bring bloggers together! Thank you, Athena! Also, thank you to Okoto Enigma for creating this award.

1/ I am in my third year of studying Applied Social Sciences at Robert Gordon University and I absolutely love my degree. I have one year left and I know I’m going to miss it so much!

2/ I have loved art since I was a kid and I particularly love portrait art and I often do drawings as commissions for other people. Here’s some of my favourites!

3/ I live next to the sea and the mouth of a river, and it is my favourite place to go when I want to clear my head.

Answering questions:

1/ What is one book you have read that you think is underrated? Why do you think it’s underrated?

-While JK Rowling is an extremely famous and popular author, I would have to say that The Casual Vacancy is underrated. I think a lot of people read this with excitement and were sorely disappointed that it was nothing like Harry Potter, however if you strip the expectations away, this is actually a really fantastic book with extremely 3 dimensional and flawed characters, and which addresses a lot of different issues. I found it addicting when I read it, however it took me a few different attempts to get into it.

2/ If you were stranded on an island and could only bring three books what would you bring?

-Hmmm…To Kill a Mockingbird is my favourite book of all time, so that is a given. I would probably take one of Maya Angelou’s autobiographies (she wrote 7) however I don’t know which one. Lastly, as much as I’d love to take every single Harry Potter book, I’d probably take one of the bigger ones…maybe Order of the Phoenix, Half Blood Prince or Deathly Hallows. This is a bloody hard question!

3/ Which would you prefer: coffee, tea, or neither? Why?

-AH! Another hard one. I love both. However, I think tea is probably my preference as -while I go through phases of drinking coffee- I never get sick of tea, I’m even drinking a cup right now!

4/ Do you keep the artist separate from the art? Or do you think they should go together? What I mean is, say an artist creates something that you absolutely love, but you find out they are a terrible person, would you still enjoy their art or would you boycott it?

-I love this question! It is extremely interesting. While rationally I can acknowledge that art is fantastic or touches me in a certain way, I feel that the artist and their character would undoubtedly effect my judgement. So while I can conclude that a piece of artwork or a book or a movie is fantastic, I would still be influenced by the creator.

5/ The weird question: If you had to do cartwheels or somersaults for the rest of your life which one would you choose?

-Cartwheels…because I wouldn’t really be leaving the ground, and it’d make travelling anywhere extremely fun!

Questions for the nominees:

1/ If you could redo a book to movie adaptation, which one would you redo and why?

2/ What is your opinion on the increase in YouTubers publishing books?

3/ If you could choose one genre of books to read for the rest of your days, what would it be and why?

I thought I’d do a book tag today, so sit back, relax and enjoy, as today I’ll be doing…

This tag came from the land of Booktube, more specifically from Jen Campbell; author, poet, YouTuber and altogether amazing human. The basic idea of this tag is to share 10 books that have effected you in such a way that you can remember where and when you read them.

I am not going to be sharing 10 books today, for sake of length. I am instead going to share 5 books which have had a significant impact on me, so much so that I can remember everything about them. We’ll just crack on then, shall we?

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

I remember the experience of reading this book vividly. I was given this book by my Primary 5 teacher read in an attempt to shut me up, because I ploughed through books like nobody’s business and was always ready for something else. While The Wee Free Men is one of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels which is geared more towards young adults, it was definitely still a more complicated read for me, given that I was roughly 9 years old at the time. That didn’t stop me though, and I spent (admittedly a significantly high number of) hours with my nose in this book. I would take it home in my little primary school homework bag, open it up and read to my heart’s content. This book did two things; challenged me and expanded my 9 year old self’s vocabulary to new heights, and introduced me to Terry Pratchett, one of my favourite authors in adulthood. I fell in love with the sarcastic commentary, the fantasy elements, the diversity of characters, and the size and potential of the Discworld.

Why is God Laughing?: The Path to Joy and Spiritual Optimism by Deepak Chopra

This is a slightly different book, and my reasoning for reading it may be bizarre. From the time I started secondary school and started learning more about religion and philosophy, I felt myself becoming conflicted and lost in my belief. I had never really felt like a Christian, and my family had never particularly raised me as such (despite being Christened and having in depth education on the religion in my younger years). I remember stumbling into the library when I was about 14, adamant I wanted to figure this out. I suppose in a way I wanted to find something I could relate to, or find myself, and I was using books to do that. I picked this book up, and I can barely remember anything about it, I can’t remember if I enjoyed it. But what I do remember is that once I had finished it, I realised I did not feel any deep connection to it, to religion or spirituality, and thus ended the fear of being lost. I remember this book so vividly because in my mind at the time, I was hopeful it would answer all my questions, and that if I felt something, anything, I’d be able to work things out. Turns out that doesn’t always work, and that’s okay.

The Famous Five by Enid Blyton

I am lumping these books together, as there are 21 books in this series by Enid Blyton. I had grown up reading Blyton books, such as The Faraway Tree and others. I read The Famous Five when I was in my final year of primary school. I had fallen and broken my ankle and was subsequently not allowed to go outside during break times or lunchtimes for 6 weeks, and so I spent every morning break and every lunchtime sitting alone with not much to do. I remember picking up the first of these books in that time, and getting hooked. I loved the characters, the pace, the mystery and the setting. I ended up reading The Famous Five books over the course of a month or so, reading a new one every day. This was the first, but most definitely not the last time that I looked upon books for guidance, happiness, companionship and more.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I read this book when I was in my final year of secondary school. I had had a really rough year, and had been heavily reliant on books during this time. I was at a low point when this book fell into my lap. I remember beginning this with apprehension, worrying that classics were maybe not for me. I was wrong. I become sorely addicted to this book and I spent many a study period at school devouring it. I remember going into my favourite study room with a cup of coffee, taking out the book and immersing myself in the story, distracting myself from myself and my problems. The time I spent reading Jane Eyre was and will always be special to me, and a reread is more than overdue!

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This is my favourite book of all time, and is another one that I read during my lowest point. In my secondary school each class was assigned an American classic to read, and mine was The Great Gatsby which -despite reading twice- I could not force myself to like. Another class had gotten to read To Kill a Mockingbird, and so I decided to see what the fuss was about. Four years on and I have reread it several times, I love it. One of my most vivid memories of this book is the first time I read it, and I was on a bus home from a really intense counselling session and I just wanted to distract myself. I ended up reading a particularly sad moment in the book (which in itself is not overly sad, but the circumstances of the story most definitely are) and I burst into tears on the bus. I remember being glued to the book and barely noticing that I was crying, until the old woman sat next to me asked me if I was alright.

This book and the story hold a special place in my heart, and whenever I feel a bit lost or not myself I pick it up and read a chapter or two, to distract. In addition to the story itself, my physical copy of the book was a sentimental object to me, which represented a saving grace during a hard time and it meant the world to me. Recently, I accidentally ruined my copy of the book by spilling a cup of tea over it, and I remember phoning my boyfriend in the middle of the night and crying for nearly an hour, because I truly felt I had lost something. However, my angel of a boyfriend kindly bought me another copy in the same edition, and I dried out my ruined copy and still have it and hold it dear. All is okay in the world.

So I was first introduced to the book blogging community and the bookish corner of YouTube when I googled a book I wanted to read, and a YouTube video came up. Since then I have been an avid watcher of what is titled “BookTube” and there are a number of YouTubers that I love and whose videos I will watch as soon as they appear in my subscription feed. These YouTubers – while creating a lot of bookish content – create a vast array of other videos which I find equally enjoyable. So here are a 3 of my favourite bookish YouTubers!

I have been watching Leena since her uni days in Aberystwyth and have been obsessed since. Leena creates extremely insightful, analytical and fun book reviews which always provide me with great recommendations. Her reading varies in genre and scope and I can always rely on her for a fantastic next read as well as a good giggle.

In addition to her BookTube content, Leena creates so much other content which I love! She has a series titled “Stupid Questions with Leena” where she interviews and has discussions with people with backgrounds which are different from hers, whether this be through faith, sexuality, gender and more. Most recently, Leena did 40 videos for every day of Lent, each was fun, poignant and unique. She has done videos with authors such as Sofia Khan, and Caitlin Moran, as well as collaborations with other YouTubers. Leena is a fantastic poet also, and has created many beautifully shot and eloquent videos of spoken poetry, my favourite being her poem on the Brexit referendum.

Another thing which I love about Leena is her presence on Instagram. Leena is an advocate for body positivity, and I often look to her Instagram (@leenanorms) for a reality check and a reminder that my body and my cellulite and everything else is completely okay. As well as this, Leena shares her current reads and other aspects of her life, with witty captioning and some BOMB ASS SELFIES.

Ariel is another YouTuber I’ve been watching for a long time and who I love. She is a Canadian YouTuber who is responsible for one of my favourite bookish events of the year, the “BookTubeathon” and she creates a variety of great videos.

Ariel used to read a lot of young adult fiction, which suited me at the time which I first started watching her, however as her reading tastes have changed the books she reads and reviews have changed also, and her content and analysis of books is just as brilliant as ever. I relate to Ariel for a number of reasons, namely because she admits that she doesn’t read that much, yet she still has the same passion and adoration of books as any other BookTuber.

Ariel also creates a lot of beautifully produced travel videos and observational videos, my favourite being a beautiful video about people reading on public transport in London. Ariel makes a number of insighftul bookish discussions relating to things such as the increase in YouTubers publishing books, writing, journalling and more. I love her humour and her ability to create analytical, informative and inspiring content.

Jean is a Scottish YouTuber based in London, who is studying a PhD while also a creative producer for Pan Macmillan, a publishing company. Jean does book hauls, reviews, wrap ups, discussions, collabs and runs a book club called the Feminist Orchestra. Her content is captivating and well produced, and her personality shines through in every video. Jean formats her videos in interesting and unique ways, whether it be a video recommending adult fiction based on young adult preferences, or doing mini reviews in groups of 3 on specific topics (such as dystopian). What I love about Jean’s channel is that she reads a lot of Ancient Greek literature, as well as classics and non fiction, which are areas I am interested in but have not read much of. Jean’s passion for Ancient Greek literature is obvious in her videos on said literature and is inclusive and helpful for Ancient literature novices like myself!

Jean also creates a number of non bookish videos, never shying away from discussing feminism, politics and -most recently- mental health. Jean also has a study tips series, with university tips and stationery recommendations, which I have found incredibly useful! In short, Jean is a well rounded YouTuber who I love to watch!

I hope you guys enjoyed this mini recommendation of 3 of my favourite bookish YouTubers! If you’d like to see another recommendation video let me know, as I have several more people that I watch regularly and that I’d love to share!